Page 76 of Royally Roma
He cradled his head in his hands. What he’d done was worse than simply sleeping with someone inappropriate. He’d trusted her. He’d shown her a side of him that he’d never shown anyone before. He’d even told her the truth about his mother.
Niccolo’s chest seized.My God, what have I done?
“Sir, are you all right?” Piero’s tone, always so crisp and businesslike, had gone uncharacteristically sympathetic, which only emphasized the magnitude of Niccolo’s lapse in judgment.
He was the crown prince. He was held accountable to every man, woman, and child in Lazaretto, and this is how he’d chosen to honor them, by inviting scandal into the palace.
People would have expected as much from Cassian. From his father. But not from him. He was the golden child. His mother’s son, the one who held the future of the monarchy in the palm of his royal hand.
My God, if the press finds out about this, they will crucify me.
He pushed himself to his feet. He had to get ahold of himself. More importantly, he had to get out of here. Every minute he spent in Julia’s flat was another minute at risk.
Julia.
Her angelic face flashed before his eyes. No wonder she’d been so upset when he couldn’t pay her. Her father was in prison for stealing millions of dollars. And she’d mentioned a boyfriend who’d taken advantage of her financially. The men in her life hadn’t exactly been paragons of fiscal responsibility. The kidnapping suddenly didn’t seem so crazy. Or remotely amusing. He’d hurt her. Even more than he’d realized.
She should have told him, though. She should have been up front and honest about who she was.
Like you were?
Bloody hell, when had he become such a hypocrite?
He remembered the look on her face when he’d told her that he didn’t have the money to pay for the tour. He remembered her impassioned speech.
Do you think you’re the first man to do this to me? Newsflash—you’re not. Even my own father lied to me about who he was, and I was the one left behind to deal with the mess he’d created.
She almosthadtold him, hadn’t she?
Almost wasn’t good enough, though. Not in these circumstances.
“Sir, I’m sorry to be the bearer of such news,” Piero said, sounding as if someone had died.
Only my dignity. And possibly the monarchy itself.
He buttoned his suit coat and adjusted the French cuffs of his dress shirt. He needed to get his head on straight and concentrate on the business at hand. Panicking never helped a situation such as this.
He was probably getting ahead of himself, anyway. What was the likelihood of anyone ever discovering the truth?
“All is not lost, Piero. Miss Costa still doesn’t know who I am. I’ll be out of the country by tomorrow, and this will all be a distant memory.”
A memory. A dream. A fantasy.
He wondered how long he would see Julia’s lovely face when he closed his eyes at night. How long would it be until he could kiss another woman without wishing he was back here in Rome, in this modest flat, burying himself inside Julia Costa?
It was of no consequence. This Roman holiday was over.
He reached for his cell phone on the night table and froze when his gaze landed on a magazine that he was certain hadn’t been there the night before. It was the most recent issue ofNovella 2000. His own face, with its perfect smile, and his perfect royal wave stared back at him from the cover. Niccolo’s eyes scanned the caption—His Royal Hotness—and he had the immediate urge to hit someone. Quite possibly the pompous ass whose face was on the magazine.
What was this piece of rubbish doing here... in Julia’s flat, on the table not three feet from where he’d bedded her?
Reality slammed into him like a runaway train. He didn’t want to believe it. He wanted to go back in time—five minutes, ten, even sixty seconds would have been sufficient. He could forget his cell phone, continue to dress and walk right out of the door. Out of Julia Costa’s life.
At least then the perfect memory of what they’d had could have been preserved. So long as their affair was kept secret, he could deal with the fact that her father was Lucas Costa. Maybe. After all, he could appreciate struggling to overcome a tarnished legacy.
But this... no.
This changed things. She couldn’t have known who he was. She couldn’t be one of those people who only wanted a piece of him because of his last name. Not his Julia.
